join me tonight for a chat about JET, Japan and anything else that comes up.
Click Here for my Blog TV channel.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Great vid on arguing with Japanese people
Made by my pal Hiko and some of his friends. With English and Japanese subtitles.
Enjoy!
-Jason
Enjoy!
-Jason
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
May Grand Sumo Tournament has started
Sumo has started once again, and even tho I'm currently living in California, I still watch sumo daily via a cable channel I pay for here called TV Japan.
I'll have highlights and commentary on my all-Sumo channel on YouTube - JasonsinJapan.
Just click on the video below to be taken to my YouTube main channel page for sumo.
Enjoy!
-Jason
I'll have highlights and commentary on my all-Sumo channel on YouTube - JasonsinJapan.
Just click on the video below to be taken to my YouTube main channel page for sumo.
Enjoy!
-Jason
Friday, May 07, 2010
money vs happiness
I've got a good job now in California. I make decent money, my co-workers are generally cool people, the office is nice and conveniently located, and the work itself is fairly easy.
But it doesn't excite me - it doesn't challenge me very often - it's very repetitive. I don't wake up excited about going to work - I do it out of duty and obligation, instead of any desire to contribute to the greater good.
I know some of you are saying, "You're making good money at a decent job - why complain?"
Because I had a job for 5 years that I really ENJOYED and I was pretty good at doing.
And I take the train most days to work and I can see the drones making their way to their offices each day to punch the clock and put in their hours so they can afford a new iPad and go out on the weekends. I don't want to become one of those drones.
Which is why I'm going to give up a much better paying job in a city I really like to move back to Japan and work for less money in a city where I won't know anyone.
If my 5 years on JET taught me one thing about myself, it's that I really love teaching. I like the day to day challenge of it - the quest to find a better way to involve and interest your students in their lessons - the ever-changing variety - the school atmosphere in Japan with large school events and it's own brand of school spirit. And I enjoy teaching English.
Perhaps not as much as I would if I could teach history, which is a subject closer to my heart, but with English it's easier in a way to notice real progress in your students. At the end of the year you can tell if they learned anything and are able to communicate at a higher level than when they started.
So I'll be giving up job security in California for the unpredictable and sometimes frustrating job of teaching English in Japan - and I can't wait! :)
-Jason
But it doesn't excite me - it doesn't challenge me very often - it's very repetitive. I don't wake up excited about going to work - I do it out of duty and obligation, instead of any desire to contribute to the greater good.
I know some of you are saying, "You're making good money at a decent job - why complain?"
Because I had a job for 5 years that I really ENJOYED and I was pretty good at doing.
And I take the train most days to work and I can see the drones making their way to their offices each day to punch the clock and put in their hours so they can afford a new iPad and go out on the weekends. I don't want to become one of those drones.
Which is why I'm going to give up a much better paying job in a city I really like to move back to Japan and work for less money in a city where I won't know anyone.
If my 5 years on JET taught me one thing about myself, it's that I really love teaching. I like the day to day challenge of it - the quest to find a better way to involve and interest your students in their lessons - the ever-changing variety - the school atmosphere in Japan with large school events and it's own brand of school spirit. And I enjoy teaching English.
Perhaps not as much as I would if I could teach history, which is a subject closer to my heart, but with English it's easier in a way to notice real progress in your students. At the end of the year you can tell if they learned anything and are able to communicate at a higher level than when they started.
So I'll be giving up job security in California for the unpredictable and sometimes frustrating job of teaching English in Japan - and I can't wait! :)
-Jason
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